1. Field of the invention
The present invention is generally concerned with insulation displacement connectors, meaning connectors adapted to be fitted to an electrical conductor with an insulative sheath without previously baring its conductive core, whether this is to connect electrically an electrical conductor of this kind to equipment of any kind to serve the latter, the connector then serving simply as a connecting terminal, or to interconnect electrically a plurality of such electrical conductors.
2. Description of the prior art
The invention is more particularly directed to insulation displacement connectors which, as disclosed in published French patent application Ser. No. 2 593 969, filing date 2 Feb. 1986, comprise an insulative material body and in the body a generally tubular metal contact member having inner and outer lips and a slit defined by the inner and outer lips extending around at least part of the circumference of the contact member and a barrel member rotatable about an axis of the connector and adapted to force an electrical conductor into the slit in the contact member.
When the barrel member is rotated for this purpose, the lips of the slit displace the insulative sheath locally to bare the electrical conductor which is forced between them until contact is made with its conductive core.
One of the problems to be overcome in the practical implementation of insulation displacement connectors of this type arises from the fact that, for obvious reasons of standardization, they should be able to accommodate, at least within a certain range, electrical conductors of different diameters under satisfactory conditions of use and functioning, and that they should also be optionally reusable for any such electrical conductors.
In some at least of the embodiments shown in the aforementioned French patent application the contact member, which is in the form of a machined bush, has some flexibility because it is slit longitudinally and transversely to this end.
However, this flexibility of the contact member is exploited only to allow the lower part of the barrel member to pass through when fitting the latter.
Once the assembly is in place in the housing, the contact member is braced by the housing.
The same applies where, as in other embodiments, the contact member is formed by cutting and bending and has an S-shaped structure.
A general object of the present invention is an arrangement whereby further benefit can be derived from the flexibility of the contact member.